The Artist Behind the Camera – Francie

I'm a photographer - This is my bliss - It is my gift and my muse - I love what I do - It took me a while to rediscover what was sitting in front of me all the time - but that is just the way life is sometimes - I love my clients - I want to capture them and their personality - the biggest compliment a mom can give me about their child is "you caught his personality on camera" - the biggest compliment a bride can give me is "you should charge more" - Photography is what I do to feed my soul - When I am with my clients I see the image in its final state not just what I am seeing in the viewfinder - This is me - My art - My soul - My passion...Now here is the technical stuff:

After a successful career as a corporate consultant trainer and author, I purchased a professional digital camera and returned to my original passion, photography. My journey with photography began in high school, when I received my first 35mm film camera. I fell in love with this artful medium and studied art and photography in high school and in college. Since returning to photography in 2007, I have been honored with multiple awards for my photography. In January 2011 I was honored to receive the esteemed designation of Certified Professional Photographer (CPP). Less than 2500 photographers worldwide have achieved this designation.

When making images I draw from my creative ability and my passion for detail to photograph subjects that are often described as PhotoART. I am an "on location photographer" This just means I do not own a studio so I go to my clients (and it keeps my overhead low). I love going into new places, it challenges me technically and creatively to create images which look like they have been taken in a studio. I like capturing images which reflect the personality of the person I am photographing. I am delighted that I continue to educate myself and I have learned amazing techniques which do not limit the time of day, location or weather to achieve amazing results.

I enter images into photographic competitions regularly because it challenges me to be more creative. The goal is to produce images which are more beautiful and stunning with each and every shoot.

I am a professional member of Professional Photographers of America, Wedding and Portrait Photographers International, Professional Photographers Guild of Houston, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Canon Professional Services. I shoot with all professional Canon Equipment and carry full liability insurance, as well as have access to many venues which require permits.

I'm lucky enough to be a published author and I have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work, Chicken Soup for the Laughing Soul, Stories that Inspire a Teenagers Heart as well as having articles appear in Bottomline Magazine, New York Times, Dallas Business Journal, state and national association publications and worldwide over the Internet. In addition, I am one of the photography technical editors for Wiley Publishing.

When I'm not out with my camera and clients, I am with my most favorite subject in the world, my son, Liam and my beloved husband Scott.

I look forward to hearing from you. Go to "contact" and let's set up a time to meet. Or you can call me at 281.460.7030.

The amazing night wedding at Agave Road in Katy, Texas. We love photographing weddings at night. While it presents a host of challenges as a photographer to not make the images look “flashy” and to capture the ambient light of the scene, it is something we absolutely love to do. When Toni (the bride’s mom) Keri (the bride) and Blake (the groom) and I met for the first time, I was over the moon to capture their New Years Eve Wedding. The wedding would begin well after sunset and all the pre-wedding photographs would be taken after dark. This would create an amazing look with the stunning backdrop of Agave Road.

It was an amazing celebration of love and joy of these two families. We are so honored to be the chosen photographer for this stunning wedding. Enjoy!

Professional Photographers of America each year has a series of Photographic Print Competitions. These competitions are judged by training judges and determine the images which are worthy of Merit and Loan. To see more about his visit my blog post on Print Competition Here.

Print competition is the single most challenging thing I do in my career and the ONE THING which continues to make me a better photographer for all of my clients.

With just a couple of exceptions, all of the images I enter are client images.

In 2016 I was honored with the Kodak Gallery Award and That image is now up for the Kodak Elite Award which will be judged at Imaging USA In San Antonio next week.

Image Title:

HEAVEN SENT

In addition, when an image receives the prestigious designation of LOAN, it is then judged one more time for the GRAND IMAGING AWARDS (GIA). This is the best of the best and in the photography world. it’s like being nominated for an Academy Award.

For any competitor, the dream of being nominated for a GIA is the creme-da-la-creme. The best of the best of the best.

I am honored that I have been nominated for 2 GIA’s this year in the Wedding Catagory. I cannot explain how excited I am about this! Both of these images were created for clients and I am over the moon that my client work is being recognized at such a high level.

GIA TOP 10 WEDDING CATAGORY – MI AMORE

GIA TOP 10 WEDDING CATAGORY – THE COUNT’S BRIDE

I invite you to join me at the GIA’s in San Antonio, via FACEBOOK LIVE. The show starts at 6PM Central Time. You can see it HERE.

I love it when my brides and grooms come back when expecting. There is no bigger compliment than to have lifelong clients. Jenna and Travis are expecting in early January, and we had an amazing maternity session this past weekend. The two of them are over the moon happy for their baby girl to arrive and I am thrilled to be able to photographer her when she gets here!

TOPAZ IS MY GO TO IMAGE ENHANCEMENT TOOL. I have the compete suite and use it to effective enhance my images. It is without-a-doubt the most comprehensive software collection on the market today for photographers. Click HERE for your link to TOPAZ – Check out my FIREHEART PHOTOGRAPHY facebook page for the latest Coupon Codes – search TOPAZ

I met Megan’s mom at a Texas School of Professional Photography. We sat next to each other for a week and got to know each other as we improved our skills. It was an awesome surprise when she called to ask if I would photograph her daughter’s wedding. It is such a honor when a photographer ask you to photograph their child’s wedding. Leslie shared her daughter with me and it touched my heart. So welcoming to us into their family and lives as they celebrated the marriage of their daughter and their new son-in-law. This family is just wonderful and I just fell in love with all of them. I feel truly blessed to have photographed this most perfect day. Enjoy this little sneak peek!